Device for the automatic removing and stacking of workpieces, in particular of sewn workpieces



Dec. 3, 1968 H. JUNEMANN ETAL I 3, ,138

DEVICE FOR THE AUTOMATIC REMOVING AND STACKING OF WORKPIECES, IN PARTICULAR OF SEWN WORKPIECES Filed Oct. 20, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet l 11 FIG.1

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Dec. 3, 1968 H JUNEMANN ETAL 3,414,138

DEVICE FOR THE AUTOMATIC REMOVING AND STACKING 0F WORKPIECES, IN PARTICULAR OF SEWN WORKPIECES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 20, 1965 HA/VS .SCHOL L Ma94ag Dec. 3, 1968 H. JUNEMANN ETAL 3,414,138

DEVICE FOR THE AUTOMATIC REMOVING AND STACKING OF WORKPIECES, IN PARTICULAR OF SEWN WORKPIECES Filed Oct. 20, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIGA INVENTORS 1 H0660 r JdAM/w/v/v,

4 rraPn/E Y 1958 H. JUNEMANN ETAL 3,414,138

DEVICE] FOR THE AUTOMATIC REMOVING AND STACKING OF WORKPIECES, IN PARTICULAR OF SEWN WORKPIECES Filed Oct. 20, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 @LQY ill'u v INVENTORSII 1/1/5507 Jzj/VE/VA /WV, HA/VS .SCHOZL ",MAW

Dec. 3, 1968 H. JUNEMANN ETAL 3,414,138

DEVICE FOR THE AUTOMATIC REMOVING AND STACKING Filed Oct. 20, 1965 OF WORKPIECES, IN PARTICULAR OF SEWN WORKPIECES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS #05507 JZ/A/EM/I/V Ifl HA v s .S'CHOZ L MJM ATTORNEY United States Patent DEVICE FOR THE AUTOMATIC REMOVING AND STACKING OF WORKPIECES, IN PARTICULAR OF SEWN WORKPIECES Hubert Jiinemann and Hans Scholl, Bielefeld, Germany, assignors to Firma Kochs Adlernahmaschinenwerke A.G., Bielefeld, Germany Filed Oct. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 498,871

Claims priority, application Germany, June 8, 1965,

9 Claims. (21. 214-6) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for the automatic removing and stacking of workpieces, in particular of sewn workpieces of flexible textile fabrics, from a coupled machine, particularly from a coupled sewing machine or sewing installation. This device is controlled by compressed air means and it comprises a workpiece carrier for removing the workpieces, after the completion of a sewing operation, out of an opened workpiece holding clamp to a horizontal grill-like pick-up for the workpieces, displaceable in a quadrangular path and in interaction with a magazine for stacking the workpieces. A brake device acts on the workpiece pick-up to interrupt its downward stroke before it reaches the workpiece stack.

Background of the invention This invention is in the field of US. patent classification class 1122 entitled Special Machines.

The invention relates to a device for removing and stacking automatically, in a magazine, of workpieces arriving from a coupled machine, in particular from a sewing machine or a sewing installation.

There are known devices in which the workpieces arriving from a coupled machine are moved along by means of a rod shaped carrier element, which is actuated by a drive, e.g. a continuous chain from a receiving position in which the workpieces slide with the help of a carrier element, depending on the operation of the coupled machine, while the loaded workpiece is suspended on both sides of the carrier element.

There is further known a device in which the carrier element 'for forwarding or receiving sewn workpieces is displaceable from a lower to an upper end position and finally back again into the low position, behind a sewing machines stacking device, in which low position the sewn workpiece pass over it. Such a device is disclosed in US. Patent 3,159,122. a

With the use of the known devices, only prohibitively long and soft workpieces can be stacked above one another with sufiicient assurance and in large quantities. Difficulties arise when short or stiff sewn workpieces, e.g. collars or pocket patches, are to be stacked above one another. These diificulties are caused.by the employment of carrier rods from which the arriving workpieces must be suspended on both sides of the carrier element, in order to achieve a sufiicient stability of the stack, when a plurality of workpieces are stacked one above the other. This is not possible, however, when the first layer to be stacked cannot be positioned about the carrier rod due to its stiffness but lies in an unstable condition on said carrier rod and falls to the ground as a result of the vibration arising during the operation of the device.

These known devices are, therefore, not adapted for a substantial amount of sewing in the sewing industry and for the automatic stacking of workpieces.

The object of the invention is to overcome these insufficiencies, which arise during the stacking of workpieces,

particularly of small, sewn and prohibitively stiff parts of material, such as pocket patches, collars and the like, when using known devices.

The object of the invention is to provide a device for the automatic receiving and stacking workpieces arriving from a coupled machine, in particular from a sewing machine or an automatic sewing installation, which will make it possible to receive stiif or flexible sewn or unsewn workpieces and arrange these in a magazine, stacked one above another, in a large quantity.

According to the invention, this problem is substantially solved by the provision of a receiver for the workpieces, which is controlled vertically and horizontally and which carries out a quadrangular movement, and a grill-shaped support piece fixedly and vertically mounted in a magazine, for racking workpieces, whereby the rods forming the grills of the receiver in which the insert pieces are displaceable are controlled in such a manner, that the workpiece forwarded to the receiver falls into the magazine and after the vertical travel of the magazine is lifted to the level of the workpiece table and is guided onto the latter in order to receive the adjacent workpieces.

In order to effect the quadrangular movement of the receiver there are provided vertically and horizontally acting air cylinders. A pair of air pressure cylinders drive the workpiece carrier, the cylinder associated with the workpiece carrier being swingable horizontally and adapted to be raised by the other cylinders in order to guide the workpiece carrier in raised condition above the workpiece which must be picked up and to forward to the receiver said workpiece after lowering the workpiece carrier.

The cylinder which effects the stroke and vertical movement of the receiver is connected by means of the receiver with a coupling. It is formed by rods and a beam and is provided with a vertical rod which is guided in a bracket, between pairs of rollers along an axis extending parallel to that of the air cylinder. The coupling secured to the piston rod of the cylinder is provided with an opening surrounding, with clearance, the coupling rod and is provided with adjusting screws for the two air valves controlling the cylinders.

A brake cylinder for the receiver rod is mounted in the bracket and is controlled by the air pressure valve, said brake cylinder being actuated by an air valve after lowering the receiver on the workpiece stack and the uncoupling of the carrier from the receiver in the lower position of the cylinder, so that the pick-up lying by its own weight on the workpiece stack remains in this high position after the rods are removed from the magazine.

A vertically disposed guide rail for the pick-up is secured to the frame, said rail preventing radial rotations of the pick-up axle. For this purpose there are provided a pair of rollers which travel on the upper surfaces of the guide rail, and which are rotatably mounted on the insert piece of the coupling on a pair of elongated rods extending through the mounting piece.

The air valves actuated by the coupling and which control the air cylinders are secured to the guide rail, while the air valve which controls the reciprocal movements of the cylinder is actuated by a pressure bolt which is guided in the bracket; whereas the air valve which controls the return movements of the cylinder is actuated by a double armed lever by means of an adjustable screw in the coupling.

The bracket is displaceably supported in the frame of the device on two vertical and parallel guide rods and is actuated by an air cylinder.

The workpiece carrier secured to the piston rod of the air cylinder is provided with a pair of guide rods disposed parallel to the cylinders axis and displaceably mounted in the support part for the cylinder. The support part is rotatably mounted in the overhead arm which is a part of the securing frame'and may be lifted or lowered from the workpiece about an axle by a cylinder controlled by a magnetic valve and a switch.

The piston rod of the cylinder mounted in the lower part of the securing frame is in operative connection with the supporting part by means of a rod which passes through the free space between the rods of the pick-up and is appropriately guided.

The magazine for stacking the workpieces consist of a fixed vertically mounted grill-shaped support piece and of an L-shaped superimposed part for the workpieces, which are connected with the securing frame,

A switch is provided at the receiving station for the workpiece, said switch controlling the air-pressure cylinder through 'a magnetic valve for starting the work cycle.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example, in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a schematic, perspective view of the device;

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the device showing in the position of the moving parts at the beginning of a work cycle;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the device viewed from below;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the device on an enlarged scale, partly in section;

FIG. 5 is a section on line VV of FIG. 4 on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 6 is the workpiece carrier, shown in side elevation;

FIGS. 7-10 illustrate various movement phases of the device and FIG. 11 shows the switching circuit of the electropneumatic control device.

As may be seen from the schematic representations in FIGS. 1 and 2, the device comprises a movable pickup 1, for the work piece 2, constructed from rods 3, arranged in a grill-like fashion, a magazine for stacking the workpieces 2 on a stacker 5, an inserting grilllike part 7 mounted fixedly in magazine 4 and consisting of vertically disposed rods 6, a workpiece carrier 8 and an electro-pneumatic control device which is illustrated schematically in FIG. 11.

A double-acting air-pressure cylinder 10 is mounted in the support part 9 (FIG. 6), a plate 12 being secured to the piston rod 11 thereof, as shown in FIG. 3. A pair of guide rods 13 extending parallel to the axis of cylinder 10 are secured to plate 12 and are guided displaceably and axially in the support part 9. A carrier plate 14 is screwed to the plate 12 and a tubular piece 15 is mounted in the carrier plates lower part, in which the workpiece striker bar 16 is also mounted pivotable against the tension of a leaf spring 17. The workpiece striker bar 16 is provided with a rubber sheet 18 for increasing the friction resistance between the striker bar 16 and the workpiece 2. A push-button switch 19 is secured on the support piece 9 and is actuated by the plate 12 when the piston rod 11 is moved in.

The support bracket 9 is swingably mounted on a bolt 20, which is mounted on the arms 21, which are secured to flat rails 23 forming a frame structure 22..

The swinging of the support bracket 9 downwardly is limited by a connecting bar 24 located between the rails 23. For raising the support piece 9 with the workpiece carrier 8 there is provided a single acting air cylinder 25, which is screwed into the lower part of the securing frame 22 in an angular piece 26 and to the piston rod of which is secured a rod 28 by means of an extensible and contractable coupling member 27, which rod 28 passes through the space between the rods 3 of the pick-up 7 and is guided in the connecting bar 24. When the cylinder is charged with air the support bracket 9 is swingably raised by the rod 28 about the bolt 20.

A traverse 29 is arranged in the securing frame 22, in which is received a double acting air cylinder 30 and a pair of guide rods 31 extending parallel to said cylinder. A block 32 is displaceably mounted on the guide rods 31 displaceable by means of the piston rod 33 of cylinder 30. The piston rod 33 is screwed into a plate 34, which is secured by means of screws 35 in the block 32 (FIG. 4).

The rods 3 of the pick-up 1 are mounted on a crosspiece 36, which is carried by a vertical rod 37 guided in clearance 38 of block 32 '(FIG. 5) between two pairs of rollers 39, 39', which are rotatably mounted in said block, and is displaceable upward and downward. A follower link 40 provided with an opening surrounding the rod 37 with clearance, is screwed to the piston rod 41 of a double acting air cylinder 42, which is mounted in the clearance 38 in block 32 axially parallel to the rod 37 and is secured to the block 32 by a plate 43. There is further secured to the block, by means of screws 45, a vertically extending guide rail 44, which serves to guide the pick-up 11 in a straight path. For this purpose the pick-up 1 is provided with a pair of rods 3', 3", extending to the rear over the cross-piece 36, and which extend through the insert part 46 for the follower link 40 and on which there are rotatably mounted a pair of rollers 47 displaceable on the faces 38 of the guide rail 44 and which thereby prevent a radial rotation of the pick-up 1 about the axis of the rod 37 (FIG. 5).

A pair of air valves 49, 50 are secured to the guide rail 44, the air valve 49 being actuated by the pressure bolt 51 guided in block 32 and the follower link 40 of the air cylinder 42. For actuating the air valve 50 there is provided a double armed lever 52, which is mounted rotatably about an axle 55 in a clearance 54 in a plate 53 secured between the air valve 50 and the guide rail 44. An adjusting screw 57 mounted in the follower link 40 and secured against rotation by means of a nut 56 serves to actuate the air valve 50 when the piston rod 41 has moved out. Another adjusting screw 58 in the follower link 40 serves to adjust the stroke of the cylinder 42, to make possible the regulation of the displacement path of the air valve 49.

A single brake cylinder 59 is secured to the block 32 by means of a plate 60 and screw 61. When the brake cylinder 59 is charged with air, its piston rod 62 is pressed against the rod 37 of the pick-up 1, thereby exerting a braking action. The lbrake cylinder '59, is controlled through the air valve 49, which also influences the movements of the piston rods of the air cylinders .10 and 30, while the return movements of the cylinders 10 and 30 .are effected through air valve 50.

The vertically mounted rods 6 of the grill-like part 7 are secured in a cross-piece 63 which is mounted, by means of screws 64 on a carrier 65 secured to the rails 23 of the securing frame '22 (FIG. 4).

Secured to the guide rails 31 is a connecting piece 66, which is provided with a plate 67, on which is screwed on an electrical switch 68, actuated by the guide rail 44, when the piston rod 33 has moved out. This switch 68 controls an electromagnetic valve 69, which is secured to an angle piece 70 connected with the rail 23, of the securing frame 22.

The air cylinder 30 and the guide rods 31 are fastened between a plate 71 and an angle carrier 72 by screws 73. A pair of plates 74, between the angle carrier 72 and the rails 23, serve to reinforce the device when it is secured to the sewing installation, the plates being indicated by the numeral 75 in FIG. 3.

The magazine 4 (FIG. 4), for taking up the workpiece 2 on a stack 5, consists of the emplacement part 7 and the depositing part 76, of L-shape, which is secured to the angle carrier 72. The workpiece holder 77 extends to a workpiece holding clamp 78 at the sewing device which releases automatically the workpiece 2 after the sewing cycle is ended. At the same time the contact 79, shown in FIG. 11 and which is disposed on the workpiece clamp (not shown), is closed, whereby the work cycle is initiated by the magnetic valve 69.

The operation of the stacking device can be best described in connection with FIGS. 2 and 7-11. The air cylinder 42 is first charged with air through the magnetic valve 69. The follower link 40 secured to its piston rod 41 and thereby also the pick-up 1 are in their highest position, while the air valve 50 is open for passage, so that the piston rod of the air cylinder '10 for the workpiece carrier -8 and the piston rod of the air cylinder 30 for the horizontal displacement of the pick-up 1 has been fully retarded. The workpiece 2 is loaded by the weight of the workpiece carrier 8 and held on the rods of the pick-up 1 (FIG. 2).

Should now the contact 79 be actuated during the opening of the workpiece holding clamp 78 (FIG. 7), the electromagnetic valve 69 will switch over (FIG. 11), so that the other side of the cylinder 42 will be charged and the follower link 40 with the piston rod 41 is guided downward with acceleration, while the pick-up 1 moves down with a slow sinking speed until the air valve 49 (FIG. 4) is actuated by the pressure bolt 51 in the follower link 40. Due to the operation of the air valve 49, the Ibrake air cylinder 59 is charged, and its piston rod 62 is pressed against the rod 37, and the latter allows the pick-up going behind the follower link 40 to stop it in a position, leaving a distance between the rods 3 of the pick-up and the workpiece stack 5.

Moreover the operation of the air valve 49 influences the charging of the air cylinders 30', (FIGS. 8, 11). The block 32 with the pick-up 1 and its rods 3 (FIG. 3) are thereby drawn out of the magazine 4 by means of the cylinder 30, whereby the workpiece 2 is forwarded to the loading part 7 and is stacked on stack 5. At the same time the air cylinder 10 is charged and the workpiece striker bar 16 of the workpiece carrier 8 is moved into the opened workpiece holding clamp 78 in such a manner that the workpiece follower 16 is disposed in a raised position over the workpiece 2 which is to be picked up. Due to the operation of the switch 68 in the end position of the air cylinder 30, the electromagnetic valve 69 will be switched over, as shown in FIG. 11. As may be seen in FIG. 9, the cylinder 42 will thereby be charged, so that the pick-up v1 will reach its upper position by means of its follower link 40. At the same time the workpiece striker 16 will move down to the workpiece 2 in the open workpiece holding clamp 78, due to the discharging of the air cylinder 25.

Due to the actuating of the air valve 50 to the highest position of the follower link 40, the cylinder 10 will be charged from the other side and the workpiece carrier 8 (FIG. 10) will forward the workpiece 2, taken out of the workpiece holding clamp 78 and which is now on the workpiece holder 77, to the pick-up '1 which is moved at the same time to the workpiece holder 77 by the cylinder 30. The work cycle is thereby completed and the device now assumes the position shown in FIG. 2.

What we claim is:

1. A device for the automatic removing and stacking of workpieces, in particular of sewn workpieces, from a coupled machine, particularly from a coupled sewing machine or sewing installation, including a frame (22), a horizontal grill-like movable pick-up for the workpieces (2) displaceable in a quadrangular path on said frame, a magazine (4) for stacking workpieces (2) in a stack mounted in said frame (22), a vertical grill-like part (7) having rods (6) vertically fixed to said magazine (4) for aligning the workpieces (2) stacked by said pick-up (1) extending with its rods (3) through the respective interstices between said rods (6) of said vertical grill-like part (7), a workpiece carrier (8) for forwarding workpieces (2) to said movable pick-up (1) and acting in timed relation with it to permit the workpieces (2) to be deposited in said magazine (4), an air cylinder (30), for actuating said ickup (1) in a horizontal plane and an air cylinder (42) for actuating the pick-up in a vertical plane, an air cylinder (.10) for imparting forwarding movements to said workpiece carrier, an air cylinder for imparting raising movements to said workpiece carrier (8), said pick-up (-1) being provided with a vertical rod (37), a block (32) secured to said frame, a pair of rollers (39, 39') pivoted on said block, said rod being guided on said rollers, said air cylinder (42) for vertical movements of said pick-up (1) being mounted in parallel with said rod (37), a follower link (40) actuated by said vertical movement air cylinder (42) and in effective connection with said pick-up (1), a brake air cylinder (59) actuating said rod (37) and controlled by said air cylinder for imparting vertical movements through said follower link (40), and an air valve (49), saidvalve being actuable after the lowering of said air cylinder for imparting vertical movements (42) with said follower link (40) in their lowest position during the slow lowering of said pick-up (1) for preventing alowering of said pick-up (1) upon the workpiece stack (5) by braking said vertical rod (37) and allowing it to remain in this position after the removal of the rods (3) from said magazine (4).

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said, follower link (40) actuated by said vertical pick-up air cylinder (42) is provided withanopening for said vertical rod (37) and a pair of adjusting screws (57, 58) for actuating a pair of air valves (49, 50), one of said air valves (49) controlling the forward motions of said air cylinder (10) for said workpiece carrier (8), said air cylinder for said pick-up (1) and said brake air cylinder (59), the other of said air valves (50) controlling the backward motions of said air cylinder (10) for said workpiece carrier 8) and said air cylinder (30) for said pick-up (.1).

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said block (32) carrying said rollers (39, 39'), said vertical rod (37 said brake air cylinder (59) and said air cylinder (42) for vertical movements of said pick-up (1) is displaceably mounted on a pair of guide rods (31) mounted horizontally and parallel in said'frame (2 2), said block (32) being connected with the piston rod (33) of said air cylinder (30) for actuating the pick-up (1) in a horizontal plane.

4. A device according to claim .1, said block (32) being further provided with a vertically mounted guide rail (44) for said-pick-up (1) for preventing radial rotation of said pick-up (1) about the axis of said vertical rod ('37), a pair of elongated rods (3', 3"), extending through the insert part (46), a pair of rollers (47) pivoted on said elongated rods, said rollers being displaceable on said guide rail (44).

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein said block (32) is provided with a vertically mounted guide rail (44), said air valve (49) controlling said air cylinder (30) for actuating said pick-up (1), said air cylinder (.10) for said workpiece carrier (8) and said brake air cylinder (59) being mounted on said guide rail (44), a pressure bolt (51) guided in said block (32) for actuating said air valve (49), a double armed lever (52) pivoted to theupper end of said guide rail (44) for actuating an air valve (50) controlling the backward movements of said air cylinder (10) for said workpiece carrier (8) and said air cylinder (30) for said pick-up (1) by means of said follower link 6. A device according to claim 1, wherein said workpiece carrier (8) secured to the piston rod of said air cylinder (10) for imparting forwarding movements to said workpiece carrier (8) is provided with guide bars (13) extending along and parallel to the axis of said air cylinder (10), a support bracket (9) for carrying said air cylinder (10), a pair of arms (21) on which said support bracket (9) is pivoted, said guide bars being displacea bly mounted in said support bracket, a bolt (20) about which said bracket is liftable by said air cylinder (25) for lifting said workpiece carrier (8).

7. A device according to claim .1, wherein said air cylinder (25) for lifting the support piece (9) with the workpiece carrier (8) is secured in the lower part of said frame (22), a vertical rod (28) extending through the space between said rods (3) of said pick-up (1), a connecting bar fastened to the piston rod of said air cylinder (25) for lifting the workpiece carrier and in eifective connection with said workpiece carrier (8).

8. A device according to claim 1, wherein said magazine (4) has an L-shaped supporting rack (76) for the workpieces (2), said rack (76) being secured to said frame (22).

9. A device according to claim 1, further provided with an electromagnetic air valve (69) for controlling the lowering movement of said vertical movement air cylinder (42) for said pick-up (1) and the raising movement of said workpiece carrier (8), a contact (79) secured to the workpiece holding clamp (78), and for controlling the raising movement of said air cylinder (42) for said pick-up (1) by a switch (68) cooperating with said pick-up (1) in its drive out position, said electromagnetic air valve (69) being secured to said frame structure (22).

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,837,607 12/1931 Biggert 2146 2,686,603 8/1954 Lawson 2146 2,928,559 3/1960 Mosely 2146 3,130,839 4/1964 Grasvoll 214-6 FOREIGN PATENTS 881,259 11/1961 Great Britain.

ROBERT G. SHERIDAN, Primary Examiner.

R. J. SPAR, Assistant Examiner. 

